By Anthony Wagner
Our community is only as strong as our ability to communicate with one another. Protecting neighborhood character and quality of life are dependent on it.
Ever get frustrated that you were the last to know something? Did the Albertsons closure or a new community development proposal catch you off guard? Have you ever wondered where a community meeting was being held so you could voice your opinion?
If you have, chances are you were not signed up for Nextdoor.com.
It’s a free community news and information website that has the potential to improve our communities by giving us an instant venue to share ideas and news tailored to our specific neighborhoods.
Sharing community news and information in a quick, expedient manner can be expensive. Just think of the real cost it took to bring this publication to your front door or neighborhood storefront; while it may be free for you to read — it’s certainly not cheap. The publisher goes to great lengths to bring you a complimentary edition then passes off the cost of administration, print and distribution to the advertisers.
It just so happens that the Allied Gardens – Grantville Community Council prints its own low-budget newsletter for a couple of hundred residents. Even that small attempt to keep community members informed is more than half our budget. Moreover, the community newspaper and newsletter are limited because they’re only printed every couple of weeks.
Community news and information has a short shelf life. They are only relevant when they can be disseminated, interpreted and acted on quickly. What’s news this afternoon can be irrelevant eight hours later.
More than 2,000 Navajo community members from Allied Gardens, Grantville, Del Cerro, and San Carlos have chosen to login to Nextdoor.com to ensure they’re able to get community news and information as quickly as possible. Nextdoor’s mission is to use the power of technology to build a stronger and safer Navajo community.
Nextdoor.com is a free, private online network created to supplement neighborhood specific information. The site allows neighbors to share community events, important community announcements, items for sale/free, crime/safety concerns and ideas on to improve our neighborhoods.
Even the San Diego Police Department uses the site to update neighbors on crime and safety. It’s the easiest way to keep up with everything happening in our community.
As an example, I used our local Nextdoor site to disseminate up-to-the-minute information about what was happening with the Albertsons closure and what could come next. Because of Nextdoor’s reach, more than 200 neighbors showed up to our Allied Gardens – Grantville Community Town Hall.
The website makes it safe to share online the kind of things you’d be okay sharing with your neighbors in person. Neighbors must verify their addresses and sign in with their real names. You can choose where your information is shared and the website is securely encrypted. Information shared will never show up in Google or other search engines and they never share your personal information with third-party advertisers.
To sign up, all you have to do is go to Nextdoor.com and click “sign up” and the site will automatically link you with your neighbors and neighborhood-specific news and information. If you’re apprehensive or need help logging on, give me a call. The more connected the neighborhood, the stronger we are.
—I’m Anthony Wagner, president of Allied Gardens – Grantville Community Council. We represent the community interests of Allied Gardens and Grantville. Check out our new website at AlliedGardens.org. Feel free to call me at 619-253-4989 or write me a note at [email protected] or tweet @AnthonyWagnerSD.
